Detroit politicians pay for endorsements:
A long-secret cost of Detroit elections — paying for endorsements — is generating controversy in the City Council election, even though most candidates defend the expense. . . Candidates who want three or four endorsements from prominent groups in the Nov. 3 election may have to shell out about $5,000.
It’s a system virtually unheard of in U.S. politics — where groups traditionally give money to candidates they like, not vice versa . . .
“There is a certain way things get done in Detroit,” said Dearing, a businessman making his third run for the council. “And this is part of that political process. It is part of our culture.”
How did such a system evolve?
Political consultant Eric Foster said the process thrives in Detroit because it’s a one-party city.
The last Republican mayor was Louis Miriani in 1957, so Foster said candidates are desperate to distinguish themselves by aligning themselves with powerful groups. Foster said he knows of no other city with the practice.
“In other places, you’d have a candidate trying to appeal to a certain group or certain agenda, but here everyone is a Democrat,” said Foster, of Urban Consulting of Detroit, which manages political campaigns.
What? One-party rule leads to corruption? Who knew?
(Via the Corner.)
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